Caleb (34 page)

“Yes.”

“That’s
real sweet of you, but I’m truly not that hungry.”

She’d
never be that hungry. She pressed back against Caleb so hard that she felt the
bones of his ribs, even through both coats. What she didn’t feel was their
mental connection. In its place was that faint, annoying buzz.

Do
you hear it?

No
response. She took a breath, and then another and another, reaching for
patience and calm with everything she had while her gut jangled like an
old-fashioned alarm. The great vampire empire seemed to be little more than a
cult with all the appropriate accoutrements, including brain-dead,
self-sacrificing wannabes.

Hunger
twisted harder as one of the men stepped forward, his face classically
handsome, his aura dementedly peaceful, as if he truly believed serving himself
up as an hors d’oeuvre was the road to salvation. “Mistress, it would be my
pleasure to see to your needs tonight.”

“No
thanks.”

Another
stepped forward, the arch of his brow and the set of his mouth making clear
that he was more interested in what came after the feeding than serving. “It is
our pleasure to serve you in any way you require.”

Before
she could shake her head, a woman stepped forward, her long blonde hair
floating about her like an inviting cloud, every move, every nuance laced with
seductive invitation. “If the master would agree, I would be happy to submit to
his pleasures.”

Okay,
there was gall, and then there was gall that demanded retribution. Allie ducked
under Caleb’s arm, the hair on her arms standing on end with the fury that
grabbed her at the woman’s blatant offering. She made it as far as his side
before he pulled her up short. Her fangs itched with the need to rip into the
woman. Not to feed, but to kill.

Caleb
squeezed her arm in warning. He inclined his head toward the woman, his eyes
glowing beneath the brim of his hat. With desire or suspicion. She couldn’t
tell, and that just drove her jealous fury higher.

“Not
tonight, ma’am.”

Allie
clenched her fists. Not ever.

“I
have been told that my services please.” The woman’s too-long lashes lifted
slowly, suggestively.

Great.
Blood and sex on order. Everything the discriminating vamp could ask for in a
club, assuming they wanted membership. Which she didn’t. But what she found
distasteful, Caleb might like. Which meant he might just be interested in the
little bimbette who probably invested more in artificial eyelashes than she
spent on clothes, and had forgotten more about making a man’s head spin than
she had ever learned.

Caleb
shifted his grip on her arm.

Allie
raised her chin, even as her spirit sank. She had no claim on him. He was
within his rights to accept whatever invitation he wanted.

“Allie.”

She
didn’t look at him. He’d laugh at her. As if he sensed the emotion tearing at
her, he turned her to him and pressed her cheek to his chest. Beneath her ear
there was the steady beat of his heart. A little faster than normal, but
steady, and in combination with the soothing rub of his fingers up and down the
side of her arm, comforting.

“I’ve
got the woman I want, thank you.”

There
was no doubt he meant it. Oh God, she was going to cry again. She wrapped her
arms around his torso and pressed close, her relief way too great for the
situation, but she needed the connection with him, especially in light of the
absence of the mental link she’d come to rely on as part of their bond. On the
next pass of his fingers, he overshot her shoulder, the backs grazing her
cheek, catching the heat and reflecting it back.

She
accepted it, letting it sink past her fear and insecurity to the bottom of her
soul, cherishing the warmth, needing it inside this beautiful place that
chilled her so. His fingers lingered, giving her more. He bent his head, the
brim of his hat providing a modicum of privacy. His lips on her ear were as
light as his touch. His knuckle pressed into the corner of her mouth. “When we
get home, you can make that moment of doubt up to me.”

The
blush started in her toes and worked up and out. So did the excitement. “What
makes you think I want to?” she whispered.

“What
makes you think you don’t?”

He
had her there.

“For
better or worse, baby.”

“Saying
it doesn’t make it real.”

He
pushed her hair back. “Feeling it does.”

“But
whose feeling it, you or your vampire?”

She
waited with breath suspended, but he didn’t have an answer. “That’s what I
thought.”

She
stepped back, his frustration hitting her as hard as her own. Either the man
wanted her with everything he had, or she wasn’t hanging around.

The
hopefuls shifted. She waved them away. “We’re not interested.”

“If
you don’t wish to partake at this time, might I suggest we go in where it’s
warm, and talk?” Vincent asked in his smooth, well-modulated tones.

Allie
nodded. “Thank you.”

“If
you’ll follow me?” Vincent turned. Like the Red Sea, the hopefuls parted,
taking positions on either side of the path. Walking between them was an eerie
experience. She could feel their hunger, not like hers for sustenance, but for
something deeper. Acceptance.

At the
end of the path, Caleb drew her up short, and frowned at the doorway in front
of them. Try as she might, she couldn’t see anything wrong with it beyond more
ornamentation than good taste would accept. He shook his head. She strained,
sensing he was speaking to her telepathically, but nothing came through. No
matter how hard she tried, all she got was that annoying buzz and another twist
of hunger. She tugged his hand, just wanting this over, so they could go home.
“C’mon.”

He
shook his head. “Wait.”

She
didn’t argue, just planted her feet, trusting his instincts above her own this
time. Beyond the archway, Vincent waited. Nothing in his demeanor indicated
impatience, which just made her more suspicious that Caleb had the right of it.

Something
was definitely wrong here. No one was that serene. Especially around her. She
would have stayed there forever, but with a force that bruised, something
collided with her ribs, jettisoning her out of Caleb’s arms into the room.
Instantly, the archway flashed with light, then shimmered and hazed. She ran
for it, hitting it hard. An electric shock went through her, ripping apart her
nerve endings. She flopped on the floor like a landed fish, muscles spasming
and contracting in the aftermath. A roar stuttered through the internal scream
reverberating across her synapses. It took extraordinary concentration to turn
her head. “Caleb!”

She
meant it to be a shout. It came out a whisper. He hit the charged wall before
she could warn him back. Sparks showered the spot where he struck, trailing
behind him as the charge pounded him back. He flew ten feet before hitting the
ground. His big, powerful body bounced awkwardly, coming to rest with his back
arched over the pack. Unlike her, he didn’t get up. Vincent caught her before
she could charge the barrier again.

“Don’t.”

She
yanked her arm, not taking her eyes from Caleb.
Move. Oh God, move.
“Let
go of me.”

“The
shock will kill you.”

Pain
shot up her arm as his talons dug into her flesh through the coats. A sharp
reminder of what he was. The doorway hazed, obscuring Caleb’s image one
particle at a time.

She
could feel Vincent’s stare, an outward extension of his will. She refused to
look at him.

Caleb!
Every particle of her being raged against the
possibility that he could be dead. She wouldn’t accept it. A two-faced scumbag
like Vincent couldn’t take out someone like Caleb. He might try, but Caleb was
too contrary to cock up his toes so conveniently. Gathering the scattered bits
of her energy, she focused her mental call to a scream.

“You
need to forget about him.” The statement struck her mind a second before it hit
her ears. She shook her head to clear the disorientation. “No.”

The
archway blurred more. She strained to see through it. Was that a twitch of
Caleb’s fingers?

Vincent
tugged her arm, dragging her away from the entryway. “He’s no longer a part of
your life.”

He
would always be a part of her. Shadows moved on the other side of the entryway,
barely visible through the hazed edges creeping toward him. The hair on her arms
and neck stood on end.
Wake up!
Caleb had to wake up. She turned on
Vincent, biting and clawing with the need to get to Caleb. He defeated her
efforts with only minimal exertion. His longer reach and greater strength
subdued her wild attack. Smooth fingers grabbed her chin and forced her face
around. His long robes wrapped around her legs as he stepped forward, pressing
his body against hers. Peace and contentment flowed off him in a demented wave
as he leaned in.

“I
sensed your potential the minute I met you. You have a unique energy, my dear.
Feminine yet filled with untapped strength. I think with time and training,
you’ll be quite useful to the Sanctuary.” He smiled that unholy, peaceful
smile. “Though you defeated my initial attempts to secure you, you were quite
obliging this time.”

“Fuck
you.”

He
closed the two inches between them and kissed her cheek. “The goal, my dear, is
for you to be fucked.”

THERE
was a reason girls didn’t kiss on the first date, and
that was it. Allie scrubbed at her cheek. Vincent’s kiss had the same ick
factor as a big hairy spider crawling across her skin. And just like when a
spider crept across her skin, no matter how much she rubbed, she couldn’t get
rid of the disgusting feeling.

“You’ll
soon see things my way.” Vincent didn’t stop her rubbing and didn’t get angry,
just watched her with that unnervingly calm gaze. The buzzing in her head
increased.

Vincent
took a step back and relaxed his arm, until her feet touched the ground. His
voice was all the more scary for the lack of emotion behind it. A glance
through the archway showed a blurry image of Caleb still down and still
surrounded. That really wasn’t good.

“Resisting
will only make things more difficult for you.”

She
cut him a glare. “I’m funny that way.”

“You
like pain?” He would have to smile on that question.

“No,
but I have real trouble with the whole concept of forced cooperation.”

It
wasn’t like she was letting out state secrets. Everyone learned that about her
sooner rather than later.

“You’ll
soon adjust.”

She
backed up a step. “So everyone’s always telling me.”

“I’m
very good at ensuring cooperation.”

It
was a threat. “Great.”

Followed
by the promise, “And I will have yours.”

He
braced his arm on the wall to the right of her head, blocking her view of the
doorway. She bent her knees, sliding down. “I’m sure you’ll give it your best
shot.”

Bastards
like him always did. Caleb was still there. Figures were all around him. No one
was moving.

Vincent
again caught her chin in his grip, squeezing hard enough to bring on the burn
of tears as he easily forced her back up onto her toes. “I will succeed.”

The
shake he gave her head snapped her gaze to his. Red swirls moved in the depths
of his gray eyes. Emotion she didn’t want to define moved right alongside.
“I’ve been waiting too long for you. I won’t fail.”

Now
there were words to give a woman pause. The man was practically salivating.
Over her. Which absolutely made no sense. She wasn’t a woman men anticipated
meeting. “Any chance you need glasses?”

It
took a minute for her reference to connect, but then he blinked and shook his
head.

“Your
value has nothing to do with your appearance.”

“How
. . . flattering.” Through the thick haze she saw the figures converge on
Caleb. Hopeless panic surged. She couldn’t give in to it, couldn’t collapse.
She had to stay strong. Think. She took a breath, turning her focus inward,
pushing that annoying buzz aside, channeling her panic to mental energy. There
had to be a way out of this, an angle she could play. All she had to do was
find it.

She
made it as far as the count of six before the figures blended to a lump. A lump
with flailing appendages, all driving downward to one point. Her inner vampire
screamed in outrage. Her human soul vowed revenge. Amid the raging emotion, her
brain started clicking, her thought processes riding the ensuing adrenaline,
rushed toward higher function. Everything she’d heard from Caleb and the weres
clicked through her brain, sorting through Vincent’s comments until a picture
began to take shape. A plan began to form.

She
looked up at Vincent. He wasn’t looking at her. His attention was on the scene
beyond the archway. From the smile on his lips, Caleb’s demise was obviously
another thing for which he’d been waiting a long time. The last piece of the
puzzle fell into place. “You can’t let them kill him.”